HÀ NỘI — Vietnamese Grandmaster Nguyễn Ngọc Trường Sơn has won a slot to compete at the FIDE Chess.com Grand Swiss, a new tournament added to the World Championship cycle by the International Chess Federation (FIDE).

The national No 2 will join No 1 Lê Quang Liêm at the tournament, which is expected to be the strongest Swiss-system tournament in the history of chess.

The Vietnamese duo will do battle with 158 of the world's top chess brains on the Isle of Man, the UK, from October 10 -21.

Among 160 competitors, 120 are FIDE qualifiers, with the world’s top 100 players invited based on their results over the last 12 months. The other 40 participants are wildcards.

Liêm, world No 32, was invited while Sơn, a reserved alternate, secured his place after up to 36 masters in the top 100 could not compete.

The prize fund will be US$432,500. The winner will not only grab a first prize of $70,000 but also qualify for the 2020 FIDE Candidates' Tournament. VNS